Although a number of different types of apparatus have been proposed for recycling asphaltic concrete, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,674,242, 4,130,364, and 4,075,710, such equipment is relatively inefficient, and presents significant problems of venting substantial amounts of volatile asphalt materials and smoke directly to atmosphere. Because of these problems, in most, if not substantially all of such prior art apparatus, 100% asphaltic concrete is not recycled, and instead, substantial amounts of aggregate are introduced and heated at the hot end of the drum, prior to introducing the recycle material downstream in a cooler portion.
In my prior co-pending applications there are disclosed apparatus for recycling asphaltic concrete in which flame and hot gases of combustion are introduced into an open port at one end of the drum, asphaltic hydrocarbons in the drum are burned, and the exhaust gases from the drum are vented to atmosphere substantially only through that same open port. Moreover, the relatively short drum offers advantages over longer state of the art drums having an area along the drum length, opposite the burner, in which only a minor amount of composition heating occurs. The present apparatus is designed to take advantage of the concepts of my improved apparatus for relatively large scale continuous recycling.